29 "The next day he saw Jesus coming towards him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.’ 31 I myself did not know him, but for this purpose I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel.” 32 And John bore witness: “I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. 33 I myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ 34 And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.”
35 The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples, 36 and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!”"
John 1:29-36
There are two thoughts in particular that emerge from a consideration of the second part of 29. We note first in passing, however, that it is the sin of the world, not merely sins, that He bears away. It was the dark mass of the world's sin that our Lord took upon Himself. In thus taking that sin upon Himself - this is the first point - He stood in for us as a Divine Substitute. The old hymn expresses this truth not only beautifully but in a theologically accurate way:
Bearing shame and scoffing rude In my place condemned He stood Sealed my pardon with His blood Hallelujah: what a Saviour.
The second thought involved in this word is that in bearing the world's sin He bore it away. The idea expressed in the Levitical ordinance of the scapegoat (Leviticus 16) is useful in this connection as an illustration and illumination of John's meaning. The priest laid his hands on the head of the scapegoat, thus transferring the sins of the people to the hapless victim; whereupon the goat was led away into the wilderness to wander in a land not inhabited, bearing away out of sight the sins of the people.
The remaining verses of the passage speak of the inner debate in John's heart and the secret intimations that must have come to him as he abode in the wilderness till the time of his showing to Israel. He did not know who Messiah was, but was given this indication by God (33), and put two and two together when he saw the Spirit descending on Jesus at His baptism. Thus he bore witness that Jesus was the Son of God and the sacrificial Lamb.